Gayle big hitting in vain

Those who say 50-overs cricket has lost its ticker needed to look no further than the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi for a humdinger. In a throwback to the days of Sharjah classics, Pakistan overcame a sluggish start and a middle-order wobble to sneak the most thrilling of last-over wins over West Indies. Khurram Manzoor and Younis Khan helped Pakistan overcome a jittery start and gather some steam, but it was Shoaib Malik's whirlwind 66 and a stunning last-over assault from Kamran Akmal that pulled the carpet from beneath West Indies' feet.

After winning the toss and batting, West Indies settled for a below-par 294, which owed mostly to Chris Gayle's glorious 113, his 17th one-day hundred and second on the trot after an unbeaten 110 against Canada in August. Just 96 runs were scored since Gayle departed in the 35th over, and only 71 in the last ten overs, credit to Pakistan for sticking to their guns on a hard pitch. Ultimately, that made a big difference.

The last 15 minutes of the match were nerve-wracking. Akmal amazingly swept the last ball of the 48th off, by Jerome Taylor, for six, but a miserly penultimate over from Gayle seemed to have sealed it West Indies' way. Fawad Alam failed to put away a full toss, Gayle bowled Akmal with a no-ball, and Akmal then survived a stumping appeal. The over cost only six runs.

Needing 17 from the last over, Akmal slashed the second and third deliveries for six, backing away: cue hysteria in the ground. A scampered two became three with an overthrow, and Alam clipped the fifth delivery of the final over for a single to seal victory. Akmal's 24 from nine balls, however, was the clincher.

When Pakistan struggled initially under lights in the first 15 overs, this was hard to envision. In the absence of any fluency from Salman Butt, it was left to Manzoor to keep the score ticking over. Manzoor played himself in, reaching his second half-century in two ODIs played for Pakistan, one full of punchy back-foot play. Younis Khan, Pakistan's most experienced batsman after Mohammad Yousuf joined the ICL, hit consecutive boundaries in the 23rd over - one driven off the back foot, the other lapped very fine - to up the rate.

Taylor was brought back in the 28th over to do a job, and he succeeded. Taylor dropped short, Manzoor tried to run it fine, and Carlton Baugh held on to the thin outside edge (142 for 2). Younis swept his way to half-century from 50 balls, but the pressure told on Misbah-ul-Haq, way too early into a reverse-sweep against Nikita Miller's left-arm spin.

As per the new rules, the batting side can choose one Powerplay and Pakistan left the third one until the 38th over. It was a critical phase and Pakistan lost two wickets for 38. Unable to pierce the field like Malik, Younis slogged Baker into the starry night while Shahid Afridi pulled Baker to a tumbling Shivnarine Chanderpaul at deep midwicket. Malik made sure to hit the ball as straight as possible and went past 50 from 36 balls, but when Pakistan needed 33 from 18 balls, he pulled Taylor to midwicket.

Akmal's heroics, though, spoiled what should have been Gayle's party. The venue changed from Antigua to Abu Dhabi, the format from Twenty20 to 50-overs, but what did Gayle care? After five overs West Indies were 11 for 0; that's when Gayle moved up a gear, stepping outside the line of a delivery from Abdur Rauf and swinging it over midwicket for six.

Rauf, who opened the attack in the absence of an injured Shoaib Akhtar, was then taken for 17 in one over. A whip over mid-on was followed by a flick off the pads. Then Rauf pitched outside off stump and craned his neck as Gayle biffed him over his head. Shoaib Malik removed third man and Gayle smartly steered the ball past the wicketkeeper. Having hit a 33-ball half-century in the Stanford 20/20 for 20 earlier this month, Gayle enjoyed his first trip to Abu Dhabi. Sohail Tanvir was cracked past point and West Indies' fifty was up in the tenth over with consecutive pulled sixes in Umar Gul's first over. In five overs, 48 had been scored, and Gayle's half-century needed 36 balls.

Sewnarine Chattergoon contributed 33 to an opening stand of 125, the sixth-best for West Indies against Pakistan, content to play second fiddle before an attempted heave against the turn went to mid-on. Ramnaresh Sarwan partnered Gayle past his century - in a 73-run stand - and watched him get out for 113 after a series of attacking shots, the last of which went straight to midwicket (198 for 2) in an over in which he had been dropped by Gul. Sarwan used his wrists well and leapt on to anything short, hitting five boundaries before he tickled Afridi down the pads in the 38th over. But Gul came back well to take 3 for 66 and Tanvir took two in two balls during the last over as West Indies failed to build on Gayle's innings.

A cricket-starved Pakistan came to Abu Dhabi wanting to win. They've certainly started well.

Wasim Akram a truly great fast bowler

Wasim Akram was the master swing bowler of the modern era. With Waqar Younis he formed one of the most lethal fast-bowling partnerships in the history of the game. When Wasim and Waqar were in their pomp during the mid-1990s they were a formidable force, decimating batting line-ups, and making Pakistan one of the world's best teams.

Wasim provided a finesse in his bowling that was rare in fast bowlers. Waqar, the perfect foil, pounded in to bowl fast and furiously. He also had great skill, but Wasim was the magician when it came to deception.

I only played against Wasim on a handful of occasions at the tail-end of his career. The first time was in the Champions Trophy in Kenya. He bowled just one delivery at me - a fast, skiddy bouncer that I ducked under. The next time was in Sharjah, where he uprooted my stumps with a vicious, swinging yorker with the new ball. The only time I prospered was in an innings in Morocco, back in 2002. During those brief encounters I discovered first-hand just why the world's great batsmen, the Tendulkars, Laras, de Silvas and Jayasuriyas, spoke of Wasim with such awe and respect.

Wasim was probably the most skilful and deceptive fast bowler I have watched. Nothing was ever the same twice in a row. He tested every single part of your game as a batsman, probing away for chinks in your technique.

He would seem to be rushing towards you at the end of his run-up. He had great balance and a quick arm action, coupled with very strong shoulders, and had the ability to bowl deliveries that could be anywhere between 120 and 145kph with no discernible change in his action. This rapid change in pace from one delivery to the next was lethal.

Long before I seriously thought about a future career in cricket, I remember watching two of the most unforgettable deliveries ever, in the final of the 1992 World Cup. England were chasing 249 for victory and going well on 141 for 4 when Wasim came back for a mid-innings spell.

The first ball was the one round the wicket to Allan Lamb, England's match-winner during that period. The ball seemed to swing into the batsman, only to nip away at the last minute and take his off stump. It was a wicked, unplayable delivery. The next was perhaps even better, swinging about two feet to bowl Chris Lewis first ball. Lewis looked dumbfounded.

These deliveries were produced in the middle of the innings with the old ball. It was this unmatched ability to reverse-swing the ball that was Wasim's hallmark. It was an ability that was dogged by controversy, with many accusations around the world that reverse swing was the product of ball-tampering. I think these controversies took the focus away from what was a supreme skill.

Fast bowlers need to be able to bowl on any wickets with a ball that's in any condition. That is the true test of a bowler's skill. Wasim was able to do that. Flat pitches, slow pitches, quick pitches - he was an ever-present threat on them all. Some quick bowlers thrive only when the pitch has zest and lift; not Wasim.

I remember being on tour in Bangladesh when Wasim was a TV commentator. We invited him to share the secrets of reverse swing with our team. He was happy to do so. Indeed, he was always obliging and quick to share his vast knowledge and experience with us and other fellow cricketers.
He told us how the fielders and the bowlers needed to take the utmost care to prevent any moisture touching one side of the ball, so it could become rough, while keeping the other shined and smooth. He then explained in detail the complexities of wrist position, arm speed, and angles. It was fascinating.

Wasim's cricket career was not always smooth. When he was captain, there seemed to be regular rumours of dissatisfaction within the team. Pakistan has historically been a team that has always suffered from partisanship and power struggles, and captains of Pakistan have always needed to be very strong mentally to be able to withstand the pressures of leading a hugely talented but sometimes temperamental side. Talks of petitions being signed against the captain, of the captaincy changing hands, were a constant reality for Wasim when he was in charge.

Yet, for all this pressure and the nasty off-field politicking, it's a testament to his strength of character and his zest for the game that he still became a true legend of the sport; a man who could make the cricket ball talk; a man who was a lethal bowler at every stage of his career, and who would still be so if he decided to pick up a ball today. He played the game hard and with skill, lived life fully, and let his skill rise above petty controversies and squabbles.

If I were given the opportunity to challenge my skill as a batsman by picking bowlers from history whom to face, Wasim would be an automatic choice. Perhaps the greatest tribute you can pay him is that in the current era of fast bowlers there is no one who can be judged to be in the same class. He was a once-in-a-generation cricketer who lifted fast bowling to new levels, and helped carry Pakistan to the top of world cricket. A true legend.

Hoggard hungry to come back into international cricket

Matthew Hoggard, the fast bowler discarded by the England selectors during the tour of New Zealand eight months ago, has set himself a target of getting back in the Test side by July's home Ashes series. But Hoggard, 31, admitted the odds were stacked against him.
"The selectors have almost said to me it would be a backward step picking me," he said. "Obviously England have moved past me at the moment and have got some good youngsters in the team. I'm at the back of the queue at the moment."

Hoggard, who was on a flying visit to Asia at the weekend to play for an All-Stars team in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, said he was interested in playing in next year's Indian Premier League (IPL). But he added that his priority was to start the next English county season in style ahead of the Ashes.

"There's a massive summer coming up. There's nothing more than I want to do is put the three lions on my shirt if it's playing against Australia, or playing against Zimbabwe or Bangladesh," he said. "It only takes an injury to someone or a lack of form to somebody else to open up a chance. If you're the guy who's knocking loudest on the door, then hopefully the door will be answered and you'll be asked to come in."

Hoggard, sixth on the all-time England bowling with 248 wickets at 30.50 in 67 Test matches, argued against the perception he had become too one-dimensional for the top level as a prolific outswing bowler. "People have been saying that ever since I've been in the England Test team," he said. "I think I've evolved.

"I think I'm more canny than just running up and bowling away-swing. I've proved that by taking wickets on the subcontinent and at some of the harshest places to go."
In 2005, Hoggard played an important role as England won the Ashes for the first time in more than 18 years. After a quiet start, he took nine wickets in the fourth and fifth Tests and shared in a memorable eighth-wicket partnership with Ashley Giles as England scraped home in the fourth match at Trent Bridge to take a 2-1 series lead.

He hopes that his contribution last time out will be remembered when the selectors choose the best combination to win the Ashes back in 2009. England's bowlers will again be looking to make the most of home conditions to expose weaknesses in the Australian batting line-up.
"The good thing about our swing bowlers in 2005 was that we were all different," he said. "I was a more conventional swing bowler, Freddie was a hit the deck reverser and Simon Jones was a skiddy reverser. It tested out the Australians' technique because we had so many different kinds of bowlers."

As he prepared for his first winter at home in almost a decade, Hoggard said he would enjoy the time in Yorkshire with his wife Sarah and baby son Ernie. However, he said he would be dreaming of being part of what would be his fourth Ashes battle.

"Every game back in 2005 was special," he said. "Probably my strongest memory was the Old Trafford Test match where the Australians were out on the balcony, celebrating a draw. They were so happy that they managed to draw against England. I think that gave us the belief that we could beat Australia and that's what we did."

Attitude of board and captain led me to ICL - Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman, has said his move to the ICL was prompted by the attitude of PCB officials and Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, and that his decision was not swayed by the money on offer.

"Everyone is saying that I have signed [up for] the ICL because of money but the real reason was the attitude of the PCB and Malik, which forced me to join the league," Yousuf told BBC Urdu radio in an interview. "[The] captain never gave me the respect I deserved.
"The PCB must respect the senior players and if they don't, more and more senior players will leave for the ICL," he said. "That has been the case since last year."

Yousuf will play for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL, alongside Pakistan players such as Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohammad Sami and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan - all of whom, like Yousuf, have been banned by the board for their involvement with the league.

He hit out at comments made by a few former players. Former captain Aamer Sohail said he demage his image by "ditching" a country that had given him fame and wealth. "Where were these former Test cricketers when the PCB claimed that there was delay in my visa for the Toronto event?" Yousuf told the Associated Press. "They did not raise any voice and now they are criticising me. I am getting more [money] while representing Pakistan and it's totally wrong to say I joined ICL because of big sums of money.

"There was very little cricket in Pakistan this year and I wanted to keep myself tuned up for the big series against India at home by playing in the ICL."

Yousuf left for India soon after he was named in Pakistan's team for the three ODIs against West Indies in Abu Dhabi, a move that surprised PCB officials. He had signed for the ICL last year after being left out of the squad for the World Twenty20 in South Africa, but was lured back by the board to play for Pakistan. His participation in the recent T20 Canada was halted by visa issues.

Yousuf said he was disappointed on missing out on the Canada tournament: he was named in the squad but visa problems prevented him from playing. "I was told that my visa for Canada was delayed. In fact afterwards I got to know that my visa was applied (for) in a wrong manner and I was left out of the team and no one from the PCB bothered to talk to me," he said. "I am the seniormost player and team's best performer for the last several years but I was left out of the team. They don't want me in the team so why not join a league where I am welcomed?

"I know I still have three to four years of cricket left in me, so I can still play for Pakistan provided I am accepted by the PCB and my team-mates, especially the captain. I have never said that I will prefer ICL over playing for my country. I am even available for the Abu Dhabi series, but it's disappointing that the PCB has suspended me."

Middlesex lose leading players for Champions League

Middlesex, whose recent performances in the Caribbean highlighted the problems facing the club, have been dealt another blow with news that they will be without five of their leading players for December's Champions League.

The competition rules state that teams must field the squad at the date they won their qualifying competitions which, in Middlesex's case, was July 26. That means that Neil Dexter, who was signed post season from Kent, and Neil Carter, a short-term loan signing from Warwickshire, are both ineligible. Dirk Nannes is also missing from the squad as he is representing Victoria.
"The rules are clear that only those players who enabled the squad to win the domestic championship can play in the Champions League," Sundar Raman, the chief executive of the Champions League, told Cricinfo. "We are communicating with Middlesex, and will reiterate the rules."

Two other key batsman, Owais Shah and Andrew Strauss, are in India with the England squad and Middlesex officials had hoped that the pair might be released for the tournament as it takes place between the end of the ODIs and the first Test. However, following negotiations between the ECB and Middlesex it is expected the county's request will be declined.

"I think we have been hit badly," Murali Karthik told Cricinfo. "I think we should at least be allowed Dexter because he has signed for Middlesex for the next two years and we have a few players going. In their absence, I am afraid we will be fielding a second-string side. Shah and Strauss are our top batsmen. As a result, we will come into the tournament as one of the weaker sides, though I don't know what Sialkot from Pakistan will look like."

The only glimmer of good news came with the announcement that Ed Joyce, who joins Sussex at the end of the year, will make his final appearances for Middlesex in India.

Sutherland urges India to use power wisely

India must use its growing power in world cricket to keep the game on the right path rather than becoming obsessed with short-term issues like code-of-conduct hearings, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, has said. He said there was little the rest of the cricketing world could do to match India's power, so Indian administrators needed to take greater responsibility for the game's welfare.
Sutherland was speaking in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Nagpur Test, before India confirmed that their starting line-up would not include Gautam Gambhir, who was suspended for one Test for elbowing Shane Watson. It was unclear whether Gambhir was in the side or out of it - even India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the day before the match, said he was "almost sure" he wouldn't be playing.
Sutherland said it was clear India viewed such behavioural issues differently from Australia. "They tend to look at these sorts of issues and code of conduct decisions in a different sort of light," Sutherland said. "We have seen in the last probably five years, at least four times where they have tried some sort of approach to appeal and, where the appeal hasn't been successful, taken it to another level."
In January, India were seriously considering whether to continue with their tour of Australia after Harbhajan Singh was suspended for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds - a ban that was later overturned on appeal. And in 2001, India refused to accept Virender Sehwag's suspension and named him for a Test against South Africa. The match was stripped of its Test status when the teams agreed to lock the match referee Mike Denness out of the stadium.
Sutherland said "you can always argue" that India had too much power over the sport and compared their influence in the ICC with the role the United States plays in the United Nations. However, he felt the other cricketing countries could do little but accept the status quo.
"The power that India has is obviously connected a lot to the financial contribution that they make to the game," he said. "Something like 70% of cricket revenue is generated out of India and to that end it means that I think they have, in recent times, come to realise that with that they can influence more than perhaps they have done in the past.
"With that ability to influence obviously comes power and, as someone once told me, with wealth comes responsibility. That's something that ideally you would like to see India continue to take a leadership role in helping the game to be better rather than focusing on taking these sorts of issues that we're talking about today, with Gambhir, down the wrong path."

Afghanistan wins another title

A fine spell of spin bowling from player-of-the-tournament Mohammad Nabi helped Afghanistan clinch the World Cricket League Division 4 with a 57-run victory against Hong Kong. It completes another memorable week for Afghanistan who, along with Hong Kong, were already assured of promotion.
Nabi took 4 for 9 as Hong Kong fell away to 122 all out, but it was Raees Ahmadzi who took the Man-of-the-Match award for the second consecutive game.
Kabir Khan, Afghanistan's coach, has genuine belief that his team are good enough to play in the 2011 World Cup.
"2011 is a dream - I am very hopeful about it," he said. "I want the players to be there as they really deserve to be. We are taking things as they come and obviously we have to go through Division 3 to start with. Once we have achieved that target we will be through to the World Cup Qualifier and we will make another plan for that."
Khan has already begun planning for Division 3 in Argentina in January 2009, which is a six-team event involving the two qualifiers from this event, plus Papua New Guinea, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Uganda.
"We have time on our side now. The guys have already started playing as a team. We need to raise our game a bit and be a bit fitter and be more mentally prepared for the tournament," Khan said.
"We have options for our training camp. We could go to Pakistan or India. I would prefer to have a training camp with similar conditions to Argentina. If we have a camp in Afghanistan or Peshawar it will be winter and it will be cold, while the weather in Argentina will be warm."
Hong Kong coach Aftab Habib was delighted with his team's performance despite the final defeat. Zain Abbas, Hussain Butt and Tabarak Dar have been in excellent form all week and Habib thinks his side have the ability to compete at a higher level.
"I don't want to look too far ahead but it is a dream for me and it is a dream for a lot of our players. Our next main aim is to do well in Division 3," Habib said. "It is an achievable dream and it is just a matter of putting in a lot of hard work. Everything is achievable. I think we are getting better and better every time we play. Coming here early has really helped us and I know we can go forward.
"The boys have to keep working hard at their skills and their fitness, as the higher level you go you obviously have to be a lot fitter as well."
In the final, which is used for ranking purposes, batting first on a turning track, Afghanistan made 179 all out. Ahmadzi (49) and Nowroz Mangal (40) put on a vital partnership of 66 for the fifth wicket. Nizakat Khan (4-29), a 16-year-old legspinner, showed great maturity in dismissing Afghanistan's lower order.
In reply, Hong Kong started strongly but quickly fell away as Nabi once again showcased his spinning talent. Hamid Hassan almost finished the final in grand style with a hat-trick, but he overstepped when bowling a pinpoint yorker.
In the third/fourth play-off, Italy defeated Tanzania by 70 runs at University, while Fiji secured fifth place with a 27-run win over Jersey.
Cassim Suliman, ICC's regional development manager for Africa, paid tribute to the work of the Tanzania Cricket Association in the organisation of the week-long tournament.
"[They] have done an excellent job in staging the World Cricket League Division 4, which provides an important opportunity for sides from across the world to gain a pathway to the World Cup and play competitive cricket in a global structure," he said
"Tanzania's young players, many of whom have come into the game as a result of the excellent schools programme, have gained invaluable experience of playing against experienced cricketers and I am sure that this will help them improve in the future."